Herman Joseph Wellman, 97, of Burlington died on Thursday, November 15, 2012 at his home.
Born on December 8, 1914 in West Point, Iowa he was the son of Gerhard H. and Mary A. Rueter Wellman. He married Marjorie A. Huffman on June 25, 1940 in Iowa City, Iowa.
Herman and his wife owned and operated the Big Dipper Ice Cream Shop and restaurant in Burlington for 19 years. He earned a fond spot in the hearts of Burlington for his belief that a quality product should be offered at a reasonable price. His ice cream and milk shakes were the favorites of the towns young and old alike. The homemade food made the Big Dipper a popular neighborhood gathering place .He worked for General Electric in the Fabricating Department. He was lifetime member of SS John & Paul Catholic Church. He was a member of the Golden Oldies, Two Rivers Good Neighbors Club and he enjoyed going to auctions, fishing and cooking.
He is survived by his wife, Marjorie, one son, Gerald Wellman of Los Angeles, CA, four daughters, Patricia (Fred) Wilson of Prescott Valley, AZ, Deborah (Jim) Brown of Burlington, Laura (Bill) Bryant of Burlington, and Doreen (Chuck) Pope of West Burlington. Son in law, Richard “Dick” Rosenbury of Burlington. One brother, John Wellman of Ft. Madison, Iowa and two sisters, Mary Ailor of Cameron, MO and Rose Freitag of Waterloo, Iowa. 24 grandchildren and 21 great grandchildren Several nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by one brother, Andrew, one sister, Geraldine Jacobstein, one daughter, Barbara Rosenbury
The Funeral Mass for Herman Wellman will be held at St. Paul Catholic Church on Monday, November 19, 2012 at 10:00 a.m. Fr. Marty Goeltz will officiate. Interment will be in Sacred Heart Cemetery. The Rosary will be recited in Prugh’s Chapel on Sunday evening at 6:00 p.m. with the family receiving friends until 8:00 p.m. Music will be provided by the Des Moines County Resurrection Choir. In Lieu of flowers memorials have been established for St. Paul Catholic Church and St. Vincent DePaul Food Pantry.
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